Instant lottery tickets have become common place in modern American society. Instant lottery tickets, which have come to be referred to as scratch tickets, can be purchased at convenience stores, gas stations, markets, and almost anywhere else where peoples shop on a daily basis.
These "scratch tickets" are so called because they are covered with a layer, or layers, of opaque materials which hide text printed on the surface of the ticket which tells the player whether or not he or she has won. The surface is scratched off by the player in a variety of ways, including fingernails, knives, and coins. The surface layers are generally of such a nature that they yield to such methods of removal.
Independent lottery stores have not been established or have been unsuccessful, possibly due to the fact that many scratch ticket sales are made on impulse. The average consumer does not shop with the intention of purchasing scratch tickets, but rather purchases lottery tickets as an afterthought when he or she reaches the cashier.
Most people do not consider themselves serious participants in the scratch card industry; they view themselves as casual partakers interested in the game more than profit. The operators of the lottery try to sell the idea that most people would like to win untold fortunes, but the purchaser often does not regard the purchase of a lottery ticket as a legitimate investment. Because of the foregoing, an investment in time or money in the activity of playing the lottery is unlikely, aside from the expenditure on lottery tickets. It is because of this fact that many worthy inventions have not supplanted the use of the coin as the primary utensil used to scratch the film off of instant lottery tickets.
The coin is actually well suited as a lottery ticket scraper. The combination of the hard metal surface and the serrated edge provides an efficacious way to remove the surface layer of the lottery ticket.
Furthermore, most users view many of the inventions available to remove the surface layer of the ticket as complex or "gadgety". Many lottery players apparently feel their money would be ill spent on another gadget that might disappoint by its lack of execution, especially when a coin, generally available to everyone, works so well.
Beside the ready availability of the coin and its efficacy as a scratching mechanism, there are other aspects of the coin that make it a favorite among lottery players. Coins have long been revered as lucky or mystical. Some people feel an affinity to coins minted in the year of their birth. Then there is the old adage, "Find a penny pick it up and all day long you'll have good luck". The large number of coin collectors also testifies to the interest coins have generated through the years.
All of the above factors contribute to the popularity of coins as a means to scratch lottery tickets.
The only disadvantage of the coin as a lottery tickets scratcher is the limited surface area it provides the user to grasp. Because of the size of the average coin, it must be held between the thumb and the forefinger. While the amount of pressure needed to scratch a lottery ticket is not great it, gripping the coin in this way is awkward, and may cause certain parts of the hand to become fatigued, especially since the pressure must be channeled through the limited area used to grasp the coin. If the pressure could be more evenly distributed over a larger surface, and throughout the hand, this discomfort could be avoided.
The present invention solves the aforementioned problems with a compact, lightweight, cost-effective scratcher that allows the lottery player to scratch in comfort, while doing so in a pleasing and efficient manor. It does so while continuing to allow the player to utilize the various characteristics of the coin, which has been heretofore preferred for this purpose.